Backgammon – 3 General Techniques

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In extraordinarily general terms, there are three main strategies employed. You want to be able to hop between techniques quickly as the action of the match unfolds.

The Blockade

This is comprised of assembling a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at a minimum as deep as you might manage, to lock in your opponent’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most suitable tactic at the start of the game. You can assemble the wall anywhere between your 11-point and your 2-point and then shift it into your home board as the match advances.

The Blitz

This is comprised of locking your home board as quick as as you can while keeping your challenger on the bar. e.g., if your opposer tosses an early 2 and moves one checker from your one-point to your 3-point and you then toss a 5-5, you can play six/one six/one 8/3 eight/three. Your opponent is now in big-time difficulty due to the fact that they have two pieces on the bar and you have locked half your inside board!

The Backgame

This tactic is where you have two or higher anchors in your opponent’s home board. (An anchor spot is a position consisting of at least two of your checkers.) It needs to be employed when you are decidedly behind as this action greatly improves your chances. The strongest locations for anchor spots are towards your opponent’s lower points and either on adjacent points or with one point in between. Timing is crucial for an effective backgame: after all, there’s no reason having 2 nice anchors and a solid wall in your own inner board if you are then forced to break up this straight away, while your competitor is moving their checkers home, considering that you don’t have other extra pieces to shift! In this situation, it is better to have checkers on the bar so that you can maintain your position up till your challenger provides you an opportunity to hit, so it can be an excellent idea to try and get your opponent to get them in this case!